Madison Reading Project: READ(y) to Wear Set for June 12 at The Sylvee

May 28, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information:

Rowan Childs, (608) 347-7970, Rowan@madisonreadingproject.com

Haley Borgrud (920) 723-7665, Haley@madisonreadingproject.com

MADISON – Madison Reading Project is thrilled to announce READ(y) to Wear, Madison’s most memorable costume design competition supporting local literacy, takes the stage Wednesday, June 12, at The Sylvee. 

The annual paper dress/fashion design competition honors this year’s theme, “Dress for your Adventure.” Design teams of students, businesses, artists, and local nonprofits will create and strut their paper fashions under The Sylvee spotlights, with a nod to the reality TV show “Project Runway.” Expect original designs incorporating all kinds of paper materials. You will be amazed!

DJ Four7 Travis Beckum spins fresh beats while you vote on contestants and bid on  silent auction items. Just like the theme, attendees can pick their adventure before the show opens at seven by visiting each taste, scent, and paper station before the fashion adventure begins. 

Eighteen teams will take to the runway with fans enthusiastically cheering as they lobby for votes by the celebrity judges for their favorites and best-in-show bragging rights.

Man about town Jason Ilstrup, president of Downtown Madison Inc., and nationally honored drag queen Bianca Lynn Breeze join Madison Reading Project’s executive director Rowan Childs as emcees and spirited sideline fashion commentators. 

Celebrity judges are artists, designers, and fashion-forward community leaders from Madison and Milwaukee: Doris Williams, Micheal Veliquette, Julie VonDerVellen, Darrell “DJ” Lynn Hines II, Jeff Mack, and Joe Maldonado.

“READ(y) to Wear is certainly a memorable, one-of-a-kind fundraising event,” says Rowan Childs, Madison Reading Project. “The design class has been working hard all spring to wow you with their paper designs and talent. You’ll be wowed and dazzled. Come ready to expect the unexpected! Funds raised will allow us to continue to provide another 100,000 free, high-quality books and literacy resources to kids and educators in the Dane County area.”

Madison Reading Project engages with more than 200 area partners, connecting the community with free books and literacy resources to ignite a love for reading and affirm and reflect the diversity of young readers. Earlier this month, it launched its ADA-compliant Big Red Reading Bus, complete with a wheelchair lift. 

READ(y) to Wear tickets sell quickly with limited quantities. Order at madisonreadingproject.com General admission ticket $125. Doors open at 6 p.m.

More info: https://www.madisonreadingproject.com/readytowear2024

—30—

WPS investing in Madison headquarters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Corporate Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS investing in Madison headquarters

MADISON, Wis.—May 22, 2024— WPS Health Solutions is investing in the future. Work begins June 1 that will modernize its headquarters to better suit the needs of a hybrid workforce. The Monona facility has been home to WPS since 1973, and the company is committed to remaining there for many years to come and maintaining its designation as a Top Workplace.

“Our success in a hybrid work environment necessitated a change in our operations. We’ve developed a long-term plan to enable our employees to work remotely and collaborate as needed at our headquarters,” WPS Vice President of Corporate Services Andrew McCready said.

WPS recently finalized the construction contract for the remodeling of its Corporate Center building at the intersection of Broadway and WPS Drive in Monona. Renovation and construction of the interior of the building will begin on June 1 and will take approximately 5 months to complete. The work is expected to be completed by Nov. 1.  

Once completed, the Corporate Center headquarters building will feature new, hybrid-friendly spaces for individual and group project work, café, board room, executive offices and meeting spaces, and a place for large-scale, hybrid meetings.

About WPS Health Solutions^®

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, has more than 2,600 employees. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

###

Exact Sciences Earns 2024 Great Place to Work® Certification™

Award marks sixth consecutive year company has received prestigious distinction

MADISON, Wis., May 21, 2024 – Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS), a leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, announced today that the company has been certified as a 2024 Great Place To Work® for the sixth consecutive year. The certification is based on the results of a confidential employee survey to U.S.-based employees, providing an unbiased evaluation of the company’s work environment, culture, and leadership. This year, 85% of employees called Exact Sciences a Great Place To Work, surpassing the average U.S. company by an impressive margin of 28 points.

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention, and increased innovation.

“We’re honored that Exact Sciences is a certified Great Place To Work for the sixth year in a row,” said Sarah Condella, executive vice president of human resources at Exact Sciences. “This recognition comes thanks to our remarkable team. What makes Exact Sciences exceptional is our team’s dedication to teamwork, integrity, and innovation, paired with their unwavering commitment to our purpose of helping eradicate cancer. Fostering an inclusive, collaborative environment for all employees is our priority, and this prestigious certification reaffirms our commitment to that promise.” 

By achieving this distinction, Exact Sciences joins an elite group of organizations that have demonstrated exceptional workplace practices, a willingness to act on employee feedback, and a strong commitment to employee well-being. The anonymous feedback collected during certification focuses on factors known to impact the quality of an employee’s experience, such as trust, pride, respect, and camaraderie. 

“Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place To Work. She emphasized that certification is the sole official recognition earned by the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that Exact Sciences stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees.”

According to Great Place To Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a certified great workplace and 15 times more likely to choose to work at a certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, to earn a fair share of the company’s profits, and to have a fair chance at promotion.

Exact Sciences is looking for talented people who are passionate about fighting cancer. For more information and to view a complete list of job openings, visit the company careers site.

About Exact Sciences Corp.
A leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Exact Sciences gives patients and health care professionals the clarity needed to take life-changing action earlier. Building on the success of the Cologuard^® and Oncotype^® tests, Exact Sciences is investing in its pipeline to develop innovative solutions for use before, during, and after a cancer diagnosis. For more information, visit ExactSciences.com, follow Exact Sciences on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ExactSciences, or find Exact Sciences on LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Great Place To Work^® Certification^™
Great Place To Work® Certification™ is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience — specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place To Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place To Work Certified.

About Great Place To Work^®
As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work® brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Their proprietary platform and For All™ Model helps companies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work Certified™ or receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces™ List. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

###

Media Contact (U.S.):
Steph Spanos
+1 608-556-4380
sspanos@exactsciences.com

Investor Contact:
Erik Holznecht
+1 608-800-6605
investorrelations@exactsciences.com

Graceful Management Systems: We’ve Raised 1/2 Million Dollars!

Thank you for checking out our quarterly update 👍
The GMS is a GPS specifically for construction contractors. They put in what they want to do, and the GMS uses artificial intelligence to mine, analyze, and leverage, their historical and real-time data to autonomously optimize their estimates and schedules…saving them up to 30% on their labor costs!

Read more here

Wisconsin Union: Lineup of Free Madison Jazz Festival Events, Including World-Renowned Headliners, Will Come to the Terrace June 15-16

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2024

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Public Relations and Communications Officer, Wisconsin Union
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

READ RELEASE ONLINE: union.wisc.edu/about/news/2024-madison-jazz-festival

LINEUP OF FREE MADISON JAZZ FESTIVAL EVENTS, INCLUDING WORLD-RENOWNED HEADLINERS, WILL COME TO THE TERRACE JUNE 15-16

MADISON – The annual tradition, the Madison Jazz Festival, will return to the outdoor dining and entertainment destination the Memorial Union Terrace June 15-16 with free jazz performances presented by the Wisconsin Union Theater (WUT) and the Arts + Literature Laboratory.

The Madison Jazz Festival at the Terrace will feature headliners the Orrin Evans Quartet on June 15 and the Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet: “We Exist!” on June 16. Seating for Madison Jazz Fest shows at the Terrace is available on a first-come, first-served basis. During inclement weather, Madison Jazz Festival events scheduled to take place at the Terrace will move to Shannon Hall in the nearby building Memorial Union, when possible.

The full Jazz Fest lineup at the Terrace includes:

• June 15:
  • 1-2 p.m. – Madison Jazz Fest High School All Stars
  • 3-4:30 p.m. – Gerri DiMaggio and Friends featuring Peter Dominguez
  • 5-6:15 p.m. – Heirloom
  • 7-8:30 p.m. – Orrin Evans Quartet
  • 9-10:30 p.m. – “¡Azucar! A celebration Honoring Celia Cruz,” featuring Betty Guerrero y La Combi
• June 16:
  • 1-2:15 p.m. – A.S.T.R.O.
  • 3-4:15 p.m. – John Christensen Quartet with Russ Johnson
  • 5-6:15 p.m. – Pawan Benjamin Trio with Javier Santiago and Jeremiah Collier
  • 7-8:30 p.m. – Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet: “We Exist!”

            “We are excited for the return of this quintessential Madison summertime event and even more excited that all the Terrace performances, even the headliners, will be free of charge,” WUT Director Elizabeth Snodgrass said. “The Madison Jazz Festival and the Memorial Union Terrace are two of Madison’s best ways to gather in community, and Madisonians will get to celebrate both Wisconsin-based and internationally-renowned jazz musicians all in the same place and for free.”

GRAMMY-nominated jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Orrin Evans will lead the Orrin Evans Quartet during its free June 15 performance and has been a leader in jazz innovation throughout his three-decades-long career. He has become known for infusing other genres into jazz, such as blues and soul. In addition to Evans, the ensemble includes drummer Justin Faulkner, bassist Vicente Archer and saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis.

            “I go head-first for a lot of things,” Evans has said. “I like to stretch out. Wherever the music takes me, I’m going there.”

GRAMMY and Tony Award-winning vocalist, musical theater star and producer Dee Dee Bridgewater will conclude the festival with the Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet on June 16 at the Terrace. Bridgewater’s “We Exist!” tour focuses on the struggles women have faced and the successes women have achieved through their talent. Bridgewater earned her Tony for her work playing Glinda in “The Wiz.” The jazz songstress enjoys re-envisioning jazz classics. Her mentors have included Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and Betty Carter.

“I hope that I will be exploring things until I don’t have the voice, or until my body gives out, or until they both give out, or until I just leave this Earth,” said Bridgewater in an interview with Morgan Enos of GRAMMY.com.

In addition to the free events at the Terrace June 15-16, other Madison Jazz Festival free and ticketed events will occur throughout Madison June 7-14, including performances by Raul Midón on June 8 and Miguel Zenón and Luis Perdomo “El Arte Del Bolero” on June 10.

The WUT team recently announced its 2024-2025 season of what’s next now — the Theater’s new tag line — with up-and-coming musicians, vocalists and dancers as well as renowned artists in performing arts. The lineup includes the Theater’s annual cornerstone series in jazz and classical as well as the new Black Box Sessions featuring hip-hop music. The 2024-2025 season also includes two theatrical productions as well as the return of Japanese Taiko drumming. Current subscribers can renew now; general public sales for subscriptions and single tickets start on May 28.

Patrons can support future Wisconsin Union Theater and Wisconsin Union events as well as student leadership opportunities by making purchases at the Memorial Union Terrace, the Memorial Union, Union South, Wisconsin Union markets and cafes, and TerraceStore.union.wisc.edu. Supporters can also make events like this and performing arts student leadership roles possible by giving tax-deductible donations here.

Patrons can visit union.wisc.edu/madison-jazz-festival for the WUT-hosted Madison Jazz Festival lineup and details about the WUT-hosted festival events. Details about the rest of the Jazz Festival events can be found at madisonjazzfestivalwi.org.

-###-

About the Wisconsin Union Theater

For more than 80 years, the Wisconsin Union Theater (WUT) has served as a center for cultural activity in the heart of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. WUT presents an annual season of performing arts and hosts hundreds of rental events in Shannon Hall and the Play Circle in Memorial Union. WUT has an extensive history of presenting world-renowned musicians, dancers, actors, and speakers and strives to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive place for all. WUT is part of the Wisconsin Union, a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/wisconsin-union-theater.